94% of the products in DSM’s innovation pipeline are ECO+, meaning they offer clear ecological benefits compared to the mainstream solutions they compete with

Profits

Organic sales growth was 11% in 2011, far exceeding the 5% to 7% goal

Cautiously optimistic outlook; on the way to achieving 2013 targets

Using tools from the Wharton custom program, DSM increased innovation-driven products to 18% of sales

In the Client’s Words

Marcin Skarbon, Vice President, Global Learning and Development said, "Wharton Executive Education had been recommended to me by a colleague. I appreciated the high level of program customization Wharton offered. We made a conscious decision to partner with a business school that has a known European presence: our objective was to internationalize our company, so we appreciated Wharton’s global reach.

"Once we presented our challenge, Wharton helped us to shape all the components of the program. Wharton came up with the concept, designed each piece, and brought in additional components like personal evaluation and coaching. The custom team responded quickly and was flexible. Wharton did not come with a preconceived idea; they used a collaborative approach. They tried to understand DSM, its background, its organizational challenges. They spent hours in determining the scope of the engagement, spending time with senior management.

"During the program, participants take counsel from each other and become open to growing their businesses in a different way. One participant told me after the residential module, 'This was a life-changing experience.'

“Wharton committed to provide an objective perspective on what they observed at DSM as an organization. That objectivity gave us the courage we needed to address certain things. One of our goals was to sensitize our executives to learning from people from different cultures; Wharton could add value on to that."

Would you like to learn more?

To find out how Wharton Executive Education can help your company achieve its own customized solution, please contact Alyssa Greco, Associate Director, Client Relations — Custom Programs, +1.215.746.8093 or customprograms@wharton.upenn.edu.